This invention relates to the subject of what is known in the dental field as "position indicating devices" for dental x-ray machines (which are aim known in the art as "PIDS"), and more particularly to a collimator device arranged for "snap-in" application to position indicator devices of the round type that are otherwise collimator equipped.
Dental x-ray machines conventionally are equipped with a so-called position indicating device (hereinafter referred to as a "PID") that is used for both limiting the size of a usual x-ray beam employed in exposing the x-ray film located within the patient's mouth, and to facilitate the alignment of the x-ray beam with the x-ray film that has been previously located in the patient's mouth by the practice of the usual dental technology. Commercially, PIDS are constructed for removable application to the x-ray machine that is available to the dentist (who is practicing the dental technology involved), and at the present time there are numerous ways to secure a PID to such x-ray machine).
During the use of the dental x-ray machine in the practice of dental radiography, when the dentist practicing the dental radiography involved uses rectangular instrumentation to take his x-ray photos, the PID must not only be collimator equipped, but it must also be of the rotatable rectangular type so as to permit the dentist to dispose the PID in alignment with the position of the short and long dimensions of the x-ray film that previously has been appropriately mounted in the patient's mouth, due to the fact that such positioning of the film will vary, depending on, for instance, whether posterior or anterior film holding instruments are being employed. A PID of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,576, granted Jan. 4, 1975 (the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference).
The present invention is concerned with equipping what is now the conventional round PID with a relatively small collimator of rectangular shape so that in addition to the collimation provided for, the benefits of a rectangular collimator are obtained even though the dentist does not have access to a rectangular collimator, as such.
A principal object of the invention is to provide a relatively small rectangularly configured, rotatably mounted, collimator device that may be snap-fit applied to the x-ray emitting end of standard circular PIDS, and by the dentist practicing the dental radiology involved, so that not only is collimation provided for, but also the preferred rectangular instrumentation may be employed in connection with the making of photos of the patient's teeth that the dentist wishes to take.
Another object of the invention is to provide a snap-in collimator device for application to round PIDS at the x-ray emitting end of same, so that the resulting assembly provides the benefits of a collimator equipped, rectangular, PID.